Flash mobility, clean city, smart bus

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The first large capacity electric bus was unveiled at the 60th UITP World Congress and Mobility & City Transport Exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland.

These electric buses are the first in the world to run without overhead lines. Instead they use state-of-the-art technology that recharges the bus at selected bus stops in a mere 15 seconds.

The electric charge is delivered on the roof of the bus. Flash charging technology allows onboard batteries to be fed with a 15 second boost of energy at stops along the route. At the end of the bus line, a three to four minute ultrafast-charge is made to fully recharge the batteries.

The pilot bus, which carries 133 passengers, will operate between Geneva Airport and the Palexpo Exhibition Center, along a 1.8 kilometer bus route with typical levels of traffic congestion.

The core technologies behind the system have been pioneered by ABB, a leading power and automation company, in collaboration with the Geneva public transport company (TPG), the Office of the Promotion of Industries and Technologies (OPI) and the Geneva power authority (SIG).

“In rapidly growing cities, public transportation systems face the strain of managing commuter traffic efficiently without causing air pollution. Sustainable mobility hits a sweet spot and simple solutions like this zero-emissions electric bus transportation system improves air quality, noise levels and makes our cities more livable,” says Haider Rashid, the Head of ABB in Southeast Asia and Oceania.